Let's just forget about the first 30 minutes of the ride today and the rest of the day was very, very good.
We started in the dark, trying to beat the rush hour traffic and the closer we got to downtown Ottawa, the heavier the rains and the more dense the traffic with increasingly complex merges, which started as single lane and then became double lanes and then became just plain dangerous to the point that we had to get off the road, stop and recalculate things - Monique's call and rightly so. I was not at all happy, but the safety of both of us was more important than this last small bit of sheer and utter chaos.
Given the circumstances, we ended up at Patrick's quite early, which allowed for time for much needed cleaning (of everything) after all the wet weather. We were at Parliament hill for a video shoot and interview just before noon, all of which went extremely well and picked up Gabrielle at the airport while there was a torrid rainfall. Thereafter, all seemed to clear again and we had a great afternoon walking along the Rideau Canal and Parliament buildings in glorious and much needed sunshine.
Tried to talk to Stevie H. (as Byrnes calls him) but didn't get very far (those nasty security guards are really quite good at what they do). Oh well, there's always tomorrow to scoop the political scene in between media and presentations.
And look who met us at the hill - yes Amna, from the Brentwood Clinic in Calgary who is attending U of O has been keeping in touch throughout the tour. It was great to see her - probably more important than seeing a lot of stuffy old diplomats and dignitaries
Monique and I on the hill with our very own "spy"
Tried to talk to Stevie H. (as Byrnes calls him) but didn't get very far (those nasty security guards are really quite good at what they do). Oh well, there's always tomorrow to scoop the political scene in between media and presentations.
And look who met us at the hill - yes Amna, from the Brentwood Clinic in Calgary who is attending U of O has been keeping in touch throughout the tour. It was great to see her - probably more important than seeing a lot of stuffy old diplomats and dignitaries
Monique and I on the hill with our very own "spy"
Tour Sponsor of the day is William "Al" Mclean, thanks so much for the generous support and encouragement.
Random quote of the day
No day will ever erase you from the memory of time
from the Aeneid, by Virgil
(seen on wall off bridge by Rideau Canal walkway)
my "art shot" of the day
Hey guys! It was great to see you both as well -- despite making me even more homesick! All the best with the rest of it -- so close!
ReplyDeleteAnd watch out for those crazy Ottawa drivers!
Schmenge golf was a huge success! Thanks for your thoughts. Had the jacket on all day. A lot of people interested in what you are doing! Did you have coffee with Stephen?
ReplyDeleteCoffee AND dessert, but only a conservative serving of each. On the other hand, our discussion was quite liberal.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the golf tournament was fun and a success - the Schmenge Bros live on!!!